Conductor holder for sidearms and the like



W, 1931. w. A. HEINRICH Er AL, Z@

CONDUCTOR HOLDER FOR 'SIDEARMS AND THE LIKE Filed June 24. 3.935

Patented ug. I0, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONDUCTOR HOLDER FOR SIDEARMS AND THE LIKE poration, St. Louis, Mo.,

Missouri a corporation of Application June 24, 1935, Serial No. 28,062

2 Claims.

This invention relates generally to wire supporting arms adapted for temporary association with poles for supporting electrical conductors, and more specifically to an improved conductor holding device adapted for association with such a temporary wire supporting arm, the predominant object of the invention being to provide a wire holding device which is of such improved construction and arrangement that it performs its intended function in a highly efcient manner.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a side arm attached to a fragment of a pole, parts of the. side arm being broken away to permit the view to be made on a larger scale, and the side arm having a plurality of improved conductor holders 4as sociated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the structure shown in Fig. l, the pole being shown in sections;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on line 4 4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6 6 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing, wherein is shown for the purpose of illustration, merely, one embodiment of the invention, A designates a side arm generally and B designates a pole to which said arm is attached. The arm I of the said arm is comprised of a pair of more or less parallel wood bars 2, said bars being secured together at their outer ends by bolts 3 which pass through said bars and through a spacer 4 interposed between the wood bars.

At the inner end portion of the arm I, the wood bars 2 diverge slightly as shown most clearly in Fig. 2, and at the extreme inner end of the arm the bars 2 are provided at their inner faces with hinge members 5. Each hinge member comprises a plate which is secured by means of bolts 6 to the inner face of the associated bar and said plate is provided at its top and bottom with laterally extended flange portions I which overlap the top and bottom faces of the bar in` close contact therewith. The plates of the hinge members 5 are provided with inwardly extending portions 8, the inner faces of which are spaced apart from each other, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, to receive an extension 9 formed as a saddle element IU, to be hereinafter described in detail. Also 'arranged in contact with the outer faces of the bars 2, are plates II which are secured in place by the bolts 6 already referred to herein. In order to pivotally or hingedly secure the arm I to the saddle element I0, a bolt I2 is employed, this bolt being extended through apertures formed through the plates I I, the bars 2, the hinge members 5 and the extensio-n 9, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3, and said bolt having a nut I3 associated therewith.

The saddle element I is preferably, though not necessarily, in. the form of a casting which is shaped to engage the curved face of the pole B, as shown in Fig. 3; that is to say, said saddle element includes outwardly curved leg portions I0a at the ends of which portions Ib arey provided, which are shaped to conform to the curvature of the face of the pole and which contact with said face of the pole. The saddle element I is provided with the required strength and rigidity by the provision` of strengthening ribs I4. When viewed in side elevation, the saddle element is shaped as shown in Fig. 1. This view shows that the pole-contacting portions Ib arelocated in spaced relation at the top and bottom of the saddle element, there being a pair of such spaced pole-contracting portions IIIb at each side of the saddle element.

Formed through the leg portions IIJa of the saddle element I0 is a pair of almost circular openings I through which a chain I6 is extended. The chain I6 is a part of a pole embracing assembly which includes, besides theI chain, a chain tightener Il which is attached to one end of the chain and a buckle I8 which is connected to the chain tightener by a link I9 and which serves to connect the chain tightener to the opposite end of the chain. When the side arm is to be attached to a pole, the saddle element I0 is arranged in` position with respect to the pole and the chain I6 is passed around the pole and is connected to the chain tightener I'l through the instrumentality of the buckle I8, said buckle including a loop portion I8a through which the chain is passed and a pivotally supported prong I8b which is extended through a link of the chain for securing the buckle to the chain. When the buckle has been secured to the chain as described, the chain tightener I1 is operated to draw the pole-embracing .assembly tightly about the pole and thereby securely fix the. saddle element I 0 to the pole.

The side arm includes a strut 20 which preferably comprises an elongated wood pole 20a having a member 2| at one end and a pole-contacting member 22 at the opposite end. The member 2I of the strut structure is provided with a pair of spaced ears 2| (see Fig. 6), between which a pair of downwardly extending ears 23 forming an element 24 is extended. The element 24V is arranged in contact with the bottom faces of the bars 2 of the arm I, said element comprising a bottom plate from which the ears 23 extend, and upwardly extended, oppositely disposed anges 24 which contact with the outer faces of the bars 2 of the arm I. At the top of the arm I a companion piece 25 to the element 24 is arranged, said piece 25 including a plate portion which contacts with the top faces of the bars 2 of the arm I, and downwardly extended flanges 25 which contact with the outer faces of said bars 2. The element 24 and its companion piece 25 are securely xed to the arm I by a bolt 26 which passes through bolt-receiving apertures formed through said element and its companion piece and through the space between the bars 2 of the arm I, said element and its companion piece being provided with cylindrical extensions 21 through which portions of said boltreceiving apertures are formed. The strut 2l] is pivotally attached to the arm I by a bolt 28 which is extended through apertures formed through the ears 2| of the member 2I of the strut structure and the ears 23 of element 24.

The member 22 of the strut structure 20 is provided with a portion 29 of increased Width which has a curved pole-contacting face 29', said pole-contacting face preferably being provided with sharp prongs 30 adapted to bite into the pole. Also the member 22 is provided with an ear 3I to which is pivotally attached a buckle 32, similar to the buckle I8 already described herein. This buckle is adapted to releasably engage an end of a chain 33, the opposite end of said chain being attached to ears formed on the saddle element I0. By connecting the free end of the strut structure to the saddle element by the use of the chain 33 and the buckle 32, slippage of the pole-contacting end of the strut relative to the pole B is prevented.

Spaced longitudinally of the arm I is a plurality of the improved conductor holders 34. Each of the conductor holders includes as parts thereof an element 35 which is arranged at the lower face of the arm I, and a pair of associated elements 36 and 31 which are arranged in assembled relation at the top face of said arm I. The element 35 comprises a plate portion 35a which contacts with the bottom faces of the bars 2 of the arm I, which plate portion is provided with flange portions 35h that contact with the outer faces of said bars 2 (Fig. 4). The element 36 includes a plate portion 36a which contacts with the top faces of the bars 2 of the arm I, and this plate portion is provided at opposite sides thereof with flanges 36b which contact with the outer faces of the bars 2. Projected upwardly from the plate portion 36a of the element 36 when the arm I is in a horizontal position, is an extension 38 through which a bolt-receiving opening 38 is formed, said bolt opening being continued through the plate portion 36a and through a portion 39 which is extended from said plate portion in a position between the bars 2 of the arm I. The element 35 is provided with a like bolt-receiving opening 4U which is extended through the plate portion 35a of said element and through a portion 35c which is extended from said plate portion 35a in position between the top face of the extension 3B is provided with V-shaped notches at opposite sides of the boltreceiving opening 31 thereof which receives correspondingly shaped lugs di extended from the lower face of the element 31 so as to prevent rotary movement of the element 31 relative to the element 36. The element 31 is provided with a seat 42 in which is supported for rotary movement a wire-holding member 43. The seat is elongated, being extended 'from one side of the element 31 to the opposite side thereof, and said seat is closed at its top by a plate 44 so as to rotatably confine a portion oi' the associated wireholding member 43. The plate 44, elements 36 and 31, and the element 35 are held in their assembled relation by a bolt 45 which passes through a bolt-receiving opening formed through the plate 44 and through the bolt-receiving openings of the elements 31, 36, and 35, said bolt having a nut 45' mounted thereon at its lower end.

The wire-holding member 43 is in the form oi an over-balanced locking bar of substantially U- shaped formation, there being an intermediate portion which is seated in the seat 42 of the element 31 and downwardly extended portions 43a and 43O at opposite ends of said intermediate portion. When the arm i is disposed horizontally and the wire-holding member is in its wireholding position, the portion 43a hangs vertically as shown in Fig. 4, the longer over-balancing portion 43b being bent so that it extends downwardly and outwardly and contacts with a side edge of the plate portion 35a of the element 36. The lower end of the portion 43a of the wireholding member contacts with a stop 46 which is extended outwardly and upwardly from the element 36, said stop being provided with a curved outerportion provided with a seat 46', which is adapted to receive the lower end portion of the portion 43a of the wire-holding element, so as to lock said member in its wire-holding position.

When the side arm is to be placed in use it is drawn up the pole in a collapsed condition; that is to say, the arm I moves upwardly in a vertical position and the strut 2U hangs parallel with the arm I, the buckle 32 being detached from the chain and said chain hanging loose. When the elevation at which the side arm is to be positioned is reached, the saddle element is positioned relative to the pole and the pole-embracing assembly is arranged about the pole and is tightened thereabout in the manner already explained herein. The arm I is then moved to the desired position and the lower end of the strut is caused to engage the pole, after which the buckle 32 and the chain 33 are engaged with each other. The side arm is then ready to receive the electrical conductors which it is to temporarily support, and the conductors are associated with the side arm by engaging the portions 43b of the wire-holding members with an insulated hook stick so as to move the portions 43a of said wire-holding members upwardly. The conductors C are then moved into place with respect to the wire-holding members and the portions 43EL are permitted to drop downwardly into contact with the stops 46 to hold the conductors in position, as shown in Fig. I. It is important to note that the intermediate portions of the U-shaped wire-holding members are capable of moving longitudinally slightly within the seats 42. Thus if the conductors exert upward pressure against the portions 43"l of the wire-holding members, the lower ends of said members are moved into the seats 46 at the outer ends of the stops 46, so as to positively lock the wire-holding member and thereby prevent accidental release of the conductors.

We claim:

1. A wire-holding device adapted for use with an arm arranged for association With a pole, cornprising a support xed to said arm, and a wireholding bar supported by said support for arcuate, swinging movement in a vertical plane and having a portion movable into position relative to said support so as to conne a wire between a portion of the support and said portion of said wire-holding bar, said bar including a portion which overbalances same so as to maintain the wire-holding bar in the Wire-conning position.

2. A wire-holding device adapted for use with an arm arranged for association with a pole, comprising a support fixed to said arm, and a substantially U-shaped wire-holding bar supported by said support for arcuate, swinging movement in a vertical piane and having a portion movable into position relative to said support so as to conine a wire between a portion of the support and said portion of said Wire-holding bar, said bar including an angularly extended portion which overbalances same so as to maintain the Wire-holding bar in the Wire-confining position.

WALTER A. HEINRICH. CHARLES ADIN FOX. 

